Click HERE to download a printable PDF of this puzzle.
Puzzled? No more cross words! Read Kosman and Picciotto on “Solving The Nation’s Cryptic Puzzles.” Or watch this video.
ACROSS
1 and 14D At the 11th hour, securing bishop left in the custody of libertine singer-actor (6,10)
4 Excerpt from “Essay on a Radish”—this might be the last word (8)
10 Assembled blue blanket with front trimmed (5)
11 Political dealings in Nixon/Reagan era (9)
12 In the absence of leadership, gender pride muddled through (7)
13 Make a mistake stuffing dessert in state capital (6)
15 Divide and draw these bananas (9)
17 Classic movie (King and I) about alpha male (5)
18 Said, “Uncle, do mire mire?” (5)
We now confront a second Trump presidency.
There’s not a moment to lose. We must harness our fears, our grief, and yes, our anger, to resist the dangerous policies Donald Trump will unleash on our country. We rededicate ourselves to our role as journalists and writers of principle and conscience.
Today, we also steel ourselves for the fight ahead. It will demand a fearless spirit, an informed mind, wise analysis, and humane resistance. We face the enactment of Project 2025, a far-right supreme court, political authoritarianism, increasing inequality and record homelessness, a looming climate crisis, and conflicts abroad. The Nation will expose and propose, nurture investigative reporting, and stand together as a community to keep hope and possibility alive. The Nation’s work will continue—as it has in good and not-so-good times—to develop alternative ideas and visions, to deepen our mission of truth-telling and deep reporting, and to further solidarity in a nation divided.
Armed with a remarkable 160 years of bold, independent journalism, our mandate today remains the same as when abolitionists first founded The Nation—to uphold the principles of democracy and freedom, serve as a beacon through the darkest days of resistance, and to envision and struggle for a brighter future.
The day is dark, the forces arrayed are tenacious, but as the late Nation editorial board member Toni Morrison wrote “No! This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”
I urge you to stand with The Nation and donate today.
Onwards,
Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation
20 The author dines irregularly with long-suffering man—that’s a crime (6,3)
22 In Milan, you committed to one suit from the tarot cards (6)
24 Coach in chaotic terrain (7)
26 Showed the last thing to happen in a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth? (9)
27 Thorough analysis involves African country (5)
28 Named item nearly came first (8)
29 Again, enter and peer randomly to take in toy packaging (6)
DOWN
1 Knave, taking shot, wore out fearsome beast (10)
Get unlimited access: $9.50 for six months.
2 Bit dog, perhaps, after small nibble (7)
3 Made a cross and buried around back of tomb (9)
5 Insects surrounding mobile device (electronic)—they’re on the other side of the world (9)
6 Oxygen covering large part of the earth! (5)
7 A couple of animals (hare or rhea, for instance) (7)
8 A jump on the ice can lurch at first (4)
9 Potato salad ultimately underlies rise of shipping company (4)
14 See 1A
16 Bob, for example, is on TV separating ethyl radical (9)
17 Soak injured badger leg (9)
19 Traps manuscript file at last, encased in retro crap (4,3)
21 Ray and Juan breaking up for a month (7)
23 Tulip mysteriously casting shadows on the ceiling (5)
24 From bottom to top, improve a text’s ebb and flow (4)
25 Something useful for cutting through strange daze (4)
SOLUTION TO PUZZLE NO. 3509
ACROSS 1 letter bank 9 [h]OLDER 10 PUR(CHASE)R 11 AR(CHE)TY + PE 12 A + [e]MONG (rev.) 13 anag. 14 A(DOLE)SCENT 17 pun 19 rev. 22 P + LEAD 23 anag. 26 IN TENT + I + ON 27 PLAN O 28 pun
DOWN 1 AB + DUCTS 2 CUR + FEW 3 IMP-LY 4 CARD + [h]EALER 5 RE + HEARSE 6 L IS SOME 7 COL[d] + A 8 B(RIGHT)EN 13 EL + LIP + SIS 15 anag. 16 CR (rev.) + EDEN + CE 18 SHE(LT)ER 20 PREP + ARE (rev.) 21 rev. 24 P + INCH 25 POT + S (rev.)
Joshua Kosman and Henri PicciottoJoshua Kosman and Henri Picciotto are The Nation’s puzzlers. To read more about Kosman, click here. To read more about Picciotto, click here. Kosman and Picciotto explain what they’re up to in “Solving The Nation’s Cryptic Crosswords” (also available as a PDF). Check out The Nation’s Current Issue page each week for the latest puzzle.